58 
THE TROPICAL 
ACxRICULTTJRIST. [July 1, 1901. 
first graven. When the palm approaches full 
maturity, it develops a great bud, which in due 
course bursts with a report, and lovely white 
blossoms unfold and spread in a pyramid shape 
of creamy flowers. But like the swan's song, 
the flowering of the Talipot announces its doom. 
Within a year it has drooped and dried. — Daily 
Telegraph, May 22. 
^ 
MR. THOMAS CHRISTY OF LONDON 
ON HIS TRAVELS. 
SOAP-MAKING AND COCONUT OIL: 
A NEW PATENT. 
IMPROVED ORANGE CULTURE FOR 
EGYPT— WHY NOT FOR CEYLON? 
There are few more enterprising, inven" 
tive or interesting men of business in the 
City of London than Mr. Thomas Christy, the 
head of the well-known drugs and new plants 
and products' importing house, the inventor 
of the Rubber-separating machine, and of 
many more useful little articles, and the 
first to utilise several new plants for medi- 
cinal, art or industrial purposes. We have 
just received two chatty letters from him, 
telling of a recent visit to Egypt where the 
temperature was so unusually cold tha.t many 
of his old China friends on board the steamer 
pressed him to go on to Ceylon ; but he could 
not spare the time. We venture to quote the 
purport of his letter regarding Egypt, dated 
Uth May :— 
"While in Egypt I carried on my researches in 
that wonderful country, and 1 think, from what I can 
see, that it will come out one of the richest countries 
connected with England,— the people are sohard-work- 
ing and they use their brains to arrive at a result. 
I take advantage of the present note to ask if you 
can help me in a matter. I believe that there are 
oil mills in certain parts of Ceylon ; I want to know 
what class of oil they press, and if they turn any of 
it into soap ; further, if the manufacture of soap 
direct from the oil would be a matter worth following 
up for Ceylon. The reason of my troubling you is 
that in Egypt some of the soap-makers complained 
that they were not successful in working the cotton- 
seed oil. 1 promised them that I would at once look 
into the matter, and I conferred with chemists in 
this country who have worked at it, and I believe 
we have hit off a very inexpensive process. If it 
works well in Egypt it will also be applicable for 
Ceylon. 
" Oeanges. — I worked considerably at this, and was 
interested to find out why the oranges were so degener- 
ating and h'ecoming full of core and pips instead of 
being fine, large, juicy oranges. 1 learned that the 
natives were grafting plants yielding the red or blood 
•range on to grafts from their own varieties of oranges. 
This resulted in an orange that looks very well on 
the barrow or in the shop windows, and keeps its color 
for some length of time, but the natives will not 
allow the oranges to properly ripen ; this is a very 
bad feature. The first-class orange that we know of 
in this country, and which stands the journey well 
from California, is the Waval Orange, and I have 
written to my friends in Egypt to try and secure 
plants and cuttings of these, and do away with the 
dry-cored, hard orange without juice. While on this 
question of the red or blood orange, I ma.y say that 
with the assistance of Admiral Blomfield I threshed 
out this subject. The old idea was that the pome- 
granate pollen, impregnating that of the orange, 
caused the blood red color. 'J his is a botanical im- 
possibility, so I don't go into that matter further ; but 
I learned that it is the red pomelo which is found in 
the island of liabnan, and which is a species of orange • 
these pomelos were sent to Amoy and as Malta is' 
supposed to be the origin of the red Maltese Blood 
Orangep, I was curious to find out how it was that 
this occurred. I learned that the Jesuits had sent the 
pomelo and orange trees home to Europe and they 
had sent them to Malta ; hence the idea of the Malta 
blood orange being uuique, whereas this red orange 
IS now to be found all along the shores of the Medi- 
terranean and in many instances has greatly de- 
teriorated the fruit and it has also been largely ser.t 
*° Egypt. People often express their disappointment 
when ihey see on a barrow or in a shop, especially 
abroad, a fine orange, very blark in the centre, 
and on securing some from the same pile find 
that they are not nearly so red as the decoys put 
outside. I learned in Egypt that these decoys arfl 
produced by allowing the orange to thoroughly ripen 
on the tree, when it takes up a much deeper shade 
of color. Further, if it is desired to increase the 
size and the depth of color they manure the tree 
heavily. This will give thtm a good yield of laree 
(decoy) fruit. ^ 
"I vv-ns enabled to secure some very fine oranges 
in Egypf. One of the dealers packed me a large 
basket, and when I went on board the steamer I 
handed it over to the second steward, who put it in 
the cool room. These oranges arrived in England in 
perfect condition and were very much appreciated for 
their fine flavour. I do not know if it has occurred 
to any of your merchants in Ceylon to purchase 
oranges at a low price and try shipping them in cold 
chambers to London. The Navel orange sells in the 
shops here for 3d, 4d, and 5d each, and there is a 
great demand for them. 
" In Egypt the orange is being cultivated to an ex- 
tent that is almost incredible ; gardens of 300 to 400 
acres each are not uncommon, and already the landed 
proprietors are seeking to get into connection with 
steamship owners to follow the example of the Jamaica 
firms of shipping their fruit to England, but in Egypt 
they have another great advantage, and that is that 
the country produces the most magnificent vegetables. 
Alas ! that Ceylon should be so far behind 
with its fruit cultivation, and that of oranges 
in particular ; but Mr. Christy's letter affords 
encouragement to any planters who have 
gone in for Mr. Pearson's offer to supply 
reliable kinds, and we trust to hear of 
improvement and success in culture. Mean- 
time, why should not a Raugala, Hewaheta 
or Maturata planter try a case of his 
oranges— such as they are— to the London 
market. Sent in the cold room, they should 
arrive in good order and possibly to a good 
market. 
As regards coconut-oil and soap-making in 
Ceylcn we have no very encouraging story 
to relate; but first let us hear whatMr. Christy 
has to tell us in a second letter, dated I7th 
May :— 
"I send you by sample post a specimen of soap 
made in five minutes from coconut oil. I thought it 
would interest you to have a specimen that you could 
show, because it probably will becom.e a valuable pro- 
cess, especially in countries where oil exists in quan- 
tities but yet is difficult of transport. I may say that 
the process is very inexpensive and most .simple and 
it is done without heat. My friend, the chemist, 
labels it "process almost instantaneour. ' but I put 
it down at 5 minutes. Use it in any v ay and put it 
to any teat yon like ; I can easily setid you more at 
any time. I send you copy of the letter with sample 
that I received this morning." 
(From the .Chemist to Mr. Christy.) 
"By this post I am spuding you a sample of pure 
coconut oil sapomi^ei by my rapid co\A process. Nothing 
beyond very ordinary mixing arrangements are re- 
